Two held in Thane for trying to sell pangolin, a highly endangered animal

Officers from Thane’s central crime unit had laid a trap on Mumbra-Panvel road after they had got information about two people coming to the city to sell a rare animal.

The Thane central crime unit arrested two people on Tuesday for allegedly trying to sell a pangolin, a rare and highly endangered insectivore.

The pangolin was kept in a plastic bag and hidden under a cloth. (Praful Gangurde / HT Photo)

The two men had come to Thane from Palghar to sell the animal. Police are investigating to find out from where the accused had caught the animal.

Officers from Thane’s central crime unit had laid a trap on Mumbra-Panvel road after they had got information about two people coming to the city to sell a rare animal.

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) from Thane crime branch, Dipak Deoraj, said, “We caught two people who are identified as Sagar Maruti Pawar, 33, and Abdul Jalil Yunus Mahmrut, 54, both from Palghar. When we searched them, we found a plastic bag in which something was covered with a cloth. After we removed the cloth, we found a pangolin.”

A police officer from Thane commissionerate said, “We are investigating with them to know if they have any links outside the state. We suspect the accused have bought the pangolin from someone. We will soon find those involved in the racket, which seems to be a big one”.

Officer added, “We have also alerted the forest department”.